Battery pack

ABSTRACT

A battery pack is disclosed. One aspect includes a battery pack module having a housing and a plurality of battery packs, each pack housing a case in which a plurality of batteries are received, an electrode tab to connect the batteries to form one unit, and a data wire having a first end connected to the electrode tab, to act as a signal transmitting line of the plurality of batteries.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/955,702 filed on Nov. 29, 2010, which claims the benefit of KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2009-0115918, filed on Nov. 27, 2009, in theKorean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein, by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a batterypack, in which a plurality of batteries are connected to one another asone unit.

2. Description of the Related Art

A battery pack is a power supply unit manufactured by connecting aplurality of batteries. For example, a battery pack may be employed in alarge capacity power supply device, such as an uninterruptible powersupply (UPS), to supply power to equipment when external power is notsupplied to the equipment. Since a high capacity power supply device,such as a UPS, includes a plurality of interconnected battery packs, italso includes a battery management system for monitoring the voltage,current, and temperature of each of the battery packs, in order tosmoothly operate each of the battery packs.

Accordingly, such a power supply device includes signal transmittinglines for sending information about voltage, current, and temperature tothe controller, for each of the battery packs. Unless the signaltransmitting lines are efficiently formed, the structures of the batterypacks may be complicated, and the battery packs may not be easilyassembled.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments of the present invention include a battery packhaving a simple structure to transmit a signal to a controller.

One or more embodiments of the present invention include a battery packthat is easy to assemble and has improved heat dissipation efficiency.

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a batterypack includes: a case in which a plurality of batteries are received; anelectrode tab connecting electrodes of the batteries as one unit; and adata wire having a first end connected to the electrode tab, to act as asignal transmitting line for the plurality of batteries.

According to one or more embodiments, the first end of the data wire mayhave a ring terminal coupled to the electrode tab using screws. Thefirst end of the data wire may be soldered to the electrode tab.

According to one or more embodiments, a connector, to which a second endof the data wire is connected, may be installed in the case. A plug tosend a signal to a controller may be inserted into the connector.

According to one or more embodiments, the battery pack may furtherinclude a thermistor wire to transmit an internal temperature signalwith respect to the case. The thermistor wire is also connected to theconnector. Signals transmitted through the data wire may include voltageand current signals from the plurality of batteries.

Vent holes to ventilate the battery pack may be formed in the case. Asliding rib may be disposed on an outer surface of the case, so as to beslidably inserted into an insertion groove of a module.

According to one or more embodiments, the case may include an upper caseand a lower case, which are detachably coupled to each other. Thebattery pack may further include a coupling guide mechanism to insureproper coupling of the upper and lower cases.

According to one or more embodiments, the coupling guide mechanism mayinclude a coupling rib having an asymmetric shape, formed on one of theupper and lower cases, and a coupling groove formed in the other of theupper and lower cases, into which the coupling rib is inserted. Thecoupling rib and the coupling groove insure that the upper and lowercases are coupled to each other only at desired positions.

According to one or more embodiments, the coupling rib may have a heightthat increases from a first side of the case to a second side of thecase. The coupling groove may have a depth that increases from the firstside to the second side of the case, so as to allow the coupling rib tobe fully inserted into the coupling groove. The upper case and the lowercase may be coupled to each other using screws.

According to the one or more embodiments of the present invention, thebattery pack has a simplified structure. The battery pack may be easilyassembled, because a data wire connected to an electrode tab is used asa signal transmitting line.

According to one or more embodiments, the battery pack has a high heatdissipation efficiency, because vent holes are formed in a case of thebattery pack. The battery pack may be easily assembled, because thebattery pack includes a structure that properly aligns the upper andlower cases during coupling.

According to one or more embodiments, a module is easily assembled,because battery packs are slidably coupled to the module.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the present disclosure will beset forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will beobvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of thepresent teachings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent and more readily appreciated from the following description ofthe exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a battery pack, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the battery pack of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged perspective views illustrating a portion Aof the battery pack of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a module into which thebattery pack of FIG. 1 is inserted; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views illustrating a modification of astructure for coupling a data wire to an electrode tab, in the batterypack of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the likeelements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described below, inorder to explain the aspects of the present disclosure, by referring tothe figures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled battery pack, according toan embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explodedperspective view of the battery pack of FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and2, the battery pack includes: a case 10 in which a plurality ofbatteries 20 are received; electrode tabs 30 connecting electrodes ofthe plurality of batteries 20 as one unit; a data wire 80 having one endconnected to the electrode tab 30, acting as a signal transmitting lineof the plurality of batteries 20; and a thermistor wire 90 acting as asignal transmitting line to transmit temperature information withrespect to the case 10. An external terminal 40 is coupled to one of theelectrode tabs 30 using screws 50 and transmits current between thebatteries 20 and an element connected to the battery pack. A bus bar 60is coupled to the external terminal 40 using a nut 71 and a washer 72,so that the battery pack may be connected to an adjacent battery pack inseries or in parallel, as shown in FIG. 4. The battery pack alsoincludes a sliding rib 13, which will be explained later.

Although the batteries 20 are shown as cylindrical secondary batteriesin FIGS. 1 and 2, the present embodiment is not limited thereto. Forexample, the batteries 20 may be any of other type of battery, forexample, angular secondary batteries. The batteries 20 are connected inparallel by the electrode tabs 30, such that anodes each form one unitand cathodes each form one unit. Of course, the batteries 20 may beconnected in series in some aspects.

The case 10 includes an upper case 12 and a lower case 11. Vent holes 14are formed in the case 10 at positions respectively corresponding to thebatteries 20. Since the batteries 20 are in direct contact with externalair through the vent holes 14, heat dissipation efficiency may beimproved.

Since the upper case 12 and the lower case 11 are detachably coupled toeach other using screws 51, the case 10 may be easily removed. Inaddition, elements inside of the battery pack may be easily repaired, ifnecessary.

A coupling rib 11 a is formed on the lower case 11, and a couplinggroove 12 a is formed in the upper case 12. The coupling rib 11 a may beinserted into the coupling groove 12 a. The coupling rib 11 a and thecoupling groove 12 a collectively serve as a coupling guide mechanism toproperly align the upper and lower cases 12 and 11 during coupling. Thatis, the coupling rib 11 a has a height that decreases toward theexternal terminal 40 and that increases away from the external terminal40. The coupling groove 12 a has a depth that decreases toward theexternal terminal 40 and that increases away from the external terminal40. Accordingly, the upper and lower cases 12 and 11 may be easilycoupled to each other at a desired position.

If the upper and lower cases 12 and 11 are coupled to each other suchthat a portion of the upper case 12 having a relatively greater depth iscoupled to a portion of the lower case 11 having a relatively lowerheight, the upper and lower cases 12 and 11 will not be properly coupledto each other. Accordingly, when the upper and the lower cases 12 and 11are coupled to each other in such a manner that a portion of the uppercase 12 having a relatively great depth is coupled to a portion of thelower case 11 having a relatively great depth, the upper and lower cases12 and 11 may be coupled properly. Alternatively, since the coupling rib11 a and the coupling groove 12 a are complementary to each other, acoupling groove may be formed in the lower case 11 and a coupling ribmay be formed on the upper case 12.

The electrode tab 30 is generally formed of a metal material, such asnickel, and may be welded to the electrodes of the batteries 20. Aterminal connecting part 31 is coupled to the external terminal 40 usingthe screws 50. The terminal connecting part 31 is disposed on an end ofthe electrode tab 30, so that the electrode tab 30 may be coupled to theexternal terminal 40 and the case 10, when the screws 50 are insertedinto through-holes 32 of the terminal connecting part 31 and screwgrooves 19 of the case 10. The data wire 80 has a ring terminal 81 thatis coupled to the terminal connecting part 31 using the screws 50, aswill be explained later.

The external terminal 40 includes an inner terminal 42, in whichthrough-holes 43 are formed, and an external terminal 41 that projectsoutward. The external terminal 41 has a screw surface 44 around whichthe nut 71 is fitted. A contacting part 45 is disposed on the externalterminal 40 in contact with the bus bar 60, when the bus bar 60 iscoupled to the external terminal 40 using the nut 71.

Ends of the data wire 80 and the thermistor wire 90 are connected to aconnector 100. Accordingly, once a plug 110 connected to a controller120 is inserted into the connector 100, the controller 120 may receiveand process signals transmitted through the data wire 80 and thethermistor wire 90.

The thermistor wire 90 is a conductive member, and has a first end whichis connected to the connector 100, and a second end on which athermistor 91 is installed. The thermistor measures the internaltemperature of the case 10 and outputs a corresponding signal, which istransmitted to the controller 120 through the thermistor wire 90, theconnector 100, and the plug 110. That is, when the plug 110 is insertedinto the connector 100, the controller 120 may receive and processtemperature signals. Therefore, a separate line for measuringtemperature is not needed.

The data wire 80 is a conductive member connected to the electrode tab30 and the connector 100. The data wire 80 may relay an informationsignal with respect to the batteries 20.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are enlarged perspective views illustrating a portion Aof the battery pack shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, thering terminal 81 disposed on the second end of the data wire 80 iscoupled to the terminal connecting part 31 of the electrode tab 30,using the screws 50. The second end of the data wire 80 is connected tothe connector 100. Accordingly, when the plug 110 is inserted into theconnector 100, the controller 120 may receive and process an informationsignal with respect to the batteries 20, without installing a separatedata signal line.

The information signal with respect to the batteries 20 may be a voltageinformation signal, a current information signal, or the like.Accordingly, once the plug 110 is inserted into the connector 100, sincethe battery voltage, current, and temperature information signals may bedirectly transmitted to the controller 120, conditions (the state) ofthe battery pack may be recognized, and the structure of the batterypack may be simplified, such that there is no need to install a separateline.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a module (battery pack module) intowhich the battery packs of FIG. 1 may be inserted. Referring to FIG. 4,a plurality of the battery packs are connected in series or in paralleland inserted into a housing 200. The module may be referred to as a highcapacity power supply unit. The sliding rib 13 of the case 10 isinserted into an insertion groove 201 of the housing 200. The slidingrib 13 slides along the insertion groove 201, thereby making it possibleto easily insert the battery pack into the housing 200.

Although the ring terminal 81 is used as a structure for coupling thedata wire 80 to the electrode tab 30 in FIG. 1, the present disclosureis not limited thereto. For example, any suitable structures may beadopted.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are perspective views illustrating a modification of thestructure for coupling the data wire 80 to the electrode tab 30, in thebattery pack of FIG. 1. The structure of FIGS. 5A and 5B uses solderinginstead of the ring terminal 81 (see FIG. 3A). That is, the second end82 of the data wire 80 is inserted into a hole 30 a formed in theelectrode tab 30 and then is soldered thereto. The first end of the datawire 80 is connected to the connector 100 in the same manner as that ofFIG. 1. Since data signals, e.g., voltage and current informationsignals of the batteries 20, may be transmitted to the controller 120,through the data wire 80, the connector 100, and the plug 110, aseparate line is not necessary, thereby simplifying the structure of thebattery pack. Parts other than those of the structure of coupling thedata wire 80 to the electrode tab 30 are the same as those of thebattery pack of FIG. 1.

As described above, according to the one or more exemplary embodimentsof the present invention, since a data wire connected to an electrodetab is used as a signal transmitting line, the structure of a batterypack is simplified, and the battery pack is easily assembled.

Furthermore, since vent holes are formed in a case of the battery pack,heat dissipation efficiency may be improved. Since a coupling guidemechanism for enabling upper and lower cases to be properly coupledtogether is included, the battery pack may be stably assembled.Moreover, since a plurality of battery packs are slidably coupled to amodule, the module may be easily assembled.

Although a few exemplary embodiments of the present invention have beenshown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat changes may be made in these exemplary embodiments, withoutdeparting from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope ofwhich is defined in the claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery pack module comprising: a housingcomprising a plurality of slots; a plurality of battery packs insertedinto the housing and electrically connected to one another, each batterypack comprising: a plurality of batteries; a case housing the batteries,having sliding ribs to mate with the slots; electrode tabs toelectrically connect the batteries; a connector disposed on the case;and a single data wire connected to one of the electrode tabs and aplug, to transmit voltage information and current information signalsfrom the batteries to the plug.
 2. The battery pack module of claim 1,wherein each case of the plurality of battery packs each comprise ventholes corresponding to the batteries.
 3. The battery pack module ofclaim l, wherein each case of the plurality of battery packs eachcomprise: an upper case and a lower case that are detachably coupledtogether a coupling rib having an asymmetric shape, disposed on one ofthe upper and lower cases; and a coupling groove formed in the other ofthe upper and lower cases, to receive the coupling rib.
 4. The batterypack module of claim 3, wherein in each case: the coupling rib has aheight that increases from a first side to a second side of the case;and the coupling groove has a depth that increases from the first sideto the second side of the case, such that the coupling rib may be fullyinserted into the coupling groove.
 5. The battery pack module of claim1, wherein each battery pack further comprises a thermistor wire todirectly connect to the connector and transmit an internal temperaturesignal of the case to the connector.
 6. The battery pack module of claim5, wherein the thermistor wire is directly connected to a thermistor. 7.The battery pack module of claim 2, wherein the vent holes comprise aplurality of vent holes each corresponding to one of the plurality ofbatteries.
 8. The battery pack module of claim 3, wherein the couplingrib extends the length of the one of the upper and lower cases.
 9. Thebattery pack module of claim 1, wherein the data wire has a ringterminal coupled to the electrode tab using screws.
 10. The battery packmodule of claim 1, wherein the data wire is soldered to the electrodetab.
 11. The battery pack module of claim 1, wherein the case is indirect contact with the plurality of batteries.
 12. The battery packmodule of claim 2, wherein the plurality of batteries are in directcontact with external air through the vent holes.